Low carb pumper - fasting swim strategy

[Snapsy]

Hi folks,

I've run a successful experiment this morning for the first time with pre-exercise bolus insulin that is not followed by food and which is not a correction bolus. Thought this might be helpful to others.

My pump target is set to 6.0. Normally if my blood sugar is over 6.0 before my early morning swim (which is mostly the case) I take 50% of my correction dose, which my pump works out for me. Today I was 5.9, so my pump handset didn't calculate me a correction bolus. Knowing that exercise dramatically raises my blood sugar, and after some looking back in my logbook, I decided to be bold and I bolused 0.5u. I didn't have breakfast before going swimming.

Swam 400 metres fairly strenuously. Was 5.8 afterwards, which was just over a couple of hours ago. I took my breakfast insulin immediately (50%, as I'd been exercising). Set a temporary basal rate of 150% for 2hrs 30mins to ward off my post-exercise climb in blood sugar.

Around 30 minutes after my post-swim insulin I had two cups of tea and two eggs.

Two hours later and I'm 7.8.
My rule is that I cancel any raised basal if I've reached the 7s, so as not to plummet towards lunchtime, and as it happens today that 2hrs 30mins' duration was just perfect.

Okay, so every single day is different, but I'm glad to have had the opportunity to experiment with insulin purely for exercise, not for carbs or correction purposes. Really pleased with my sugars this morning. I did all this maths last year when I started swimming but wasn't pumping or low-carbing - back then all of my maths was based on pre-swim porridge! Not any more.....

Love Snapsy


*I have tested, tested, tested, and I conducted this experiment under supervision. I wasn't alone in the pool!

 

[novorapidboi26]

Just reading all your reductions of this and increases of that has got me really confused....lol....but if it works for you thats great....

I used to do similar adjustments when back on injections and the truth is I struggled to replicate successfully those adjustments each and every time they were required...

 

[Snapsy]

I've got rather obsessive about it, to be honest, @novorapidboi26 !

I've now tested out every scenario - this is the first time I had neither food insulin nor correction insulin before swimming, and I'm surprised at how well it's worked out this morning (the next time is bound to be different though, eh?)!

Swimming fuelled by porridge would always cause a massive spike and then a hypo. I found it very, very hard to get that right. I'm much more comfortable swimming before eating anything, and then dealing with the blood glucose aftermath with well-timed post-exercise bolus insulin, protein and fat, and a long old raised temp basal.

Trial and error doesn't quite cover it!

 

[noblehead]

Great post @Snapsy , that's the beauty of a pump where you can make adjustments for exercise, well done for working it all out

 

[Snapsy]

I LOVE my pump, @noblehead - without it I wouldn't have the confidence to do half the things I do. It gives me the confidence I never had on 29 years of injections!

Mind you, it's another day and another kettle of fish tomorrow, right? Always different.......!

 

[noblehead]

Mind you, it's another day and another kettle of fish tomorrow, right?

Too right, type 1 has a habit of throwing a curve-ball at us when we least expect it

Concur with what you say about a pump, it does give you much greater flexibility with managing your diabetes....be it exercising or food.